Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Oh, please

I also can't stop reading breathless, ecstatic commentary on how Black Panther is going to change everything.  Latest example, in Slate:  What Black Panther could mean for the Afrofuturism Movement. 

Apparently, watching fantasy physics about fantasy materials is going to encourage black kids to get into STEM.    OK, I might have to concede Star Trek might have had an influence on making science education cool, but Marvel level fantasy physics having the same effect?    Can't see it.

And most of the article just reads like fantasy to me.

2 comments:

Jason Soon said...

about as overwrought as your agreeing with that stupid SJW article that Black Panther shouldn't have made the black american thug such a villain, wouldnt you agree?

Steve said...

Much, much more overwrought, in my opinion.

Look, I generally think it's a bit silly to overanalyse Marvel movies for their politics (and the Right has done their fair share of that in the past, with some swooning over Tony Stark as a small government hero, if I recall correctly.) In this case, it's the Left that's gone completely overboard in its (99.9% positive) analysis.

I made the point in my original review that it's questionable that the Left should be ecstatic about a depiction of a modern black, apparently peaceful, society which still incorporates challenges to the death at coronations. That's me criticising the Left, isn't it?

The other guy's article, pointing out that having the noble black king kill the dangerous black thug [in lieu (at my suggestion) of said thug either being redeemed or being consumed by hatred at his own hand] is a questionable thing for black folk to celebrate, is another way of criticising those of the Left who see the movie as some sort of perfect empowering story for blacks.

Use of the phrase "Actually, I think he has a point" should have given you the hint that I didn't entirely agree with everything he said.

Anyway, I am (of course) interested to hear what you thoughts on the movie, even though your tolerance of Marvel is much higher than mine. (I remember you enjoyed Captain America, for example, whereas I thought it was a snore in the second half in particular.)